A Mystery Long Unsolved
by Cimriel
Summary: To say that his times with that jewelry box were moments of vulnerability for him was a deep understatement. When that box opened, he opened. And he didn’t want anyone to ever see that. Even Blair. Or maybe, due to all his fears, especially her." CB


Another Chuck and Blair one-shot focusing in on their (hopefully) future relationship. I hope you all enjoy!

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Chuck Bass had always been a secretive person. That mystery, that mystique was a permanent part of his intoxicating charm and had helped him seduce his fair share of women in the past. They could not help but to be drawn to his dark, shadowed eyes and that smirk which hinted he knew things others could not even begin to fathom.

Yes, like moths to a flame, there were many who could not help but feel that dangerous pull towards Chuck Bass and his enigmatic charisma. But few, so very few, were ever able to catch a glimpse behind his shady exterior and truly see the young man who lurked behind the mystery.

He had always thought the one who could see him clearest of all, though, was one with a pair intense dark eyes of her own…seemingly made just to piece into his time and time again. Blair Waldorf. His verbal sparring partner, his collaborator in all things conniving, and now, his girlfriend. A title that never failed to amaze him even as days stretched into weeks, and weeks stretched into months.

He had been terrified, at first, of Blair's ability to see through him. After all, Chuck Bass was used to being the one who worked from the shadows, hiding in the background as he pulled string after string so that things always went his way, according to his plan. And to know that Blair understood that… to know she could actually see the person he was underneath his smirk, his lecherous comments, and aloof attitude had scared him more than he ever thought was possible.

He was still scared even today, though he had long since decided that it was better to have Blair in his life peeking underneath his unending façade than to have her leave him once more. That had been fair too painful. An agony Chuck wouldn't wish on his worse enemies. Well, actually, that wasn't quite true. He was Chuck Bass, after all, and thus anyone he declared a foe was simply doomed to suffer….

Still, avoiding the crippling pain he experienced whenever he had lost Blair was worth the discomfort he felt when his Queen B caught sight of the vulnerable side to him….something that he didn't want happening very often. His fears and his insecurities that she might not like what she'd see, or worse, she'd pity instead of loving him were just too strong.

For that reason, he had never let Blair, much less anyone else, including Nate, know about the small silver box he kept hidden well away from prying eyes. It had been his mother's jewelry box. Or rather, it had been one of her jewelry boxes since being married to Bart Bass provided certain perks. But it was the best one. The most beautiful.

The top of it had a shining glass mirror, surrounded by a sterling silver border of willow trees and lily flowers. And the inside…well, the inside was filled with so many memoirs and memories that Chuck had a difficult time taking them all in.

That's why he only took that box out of its careful hiding place in his enormous closest only a few times a year. It was then that he let himself feel. Truly feel. When that box opened, he couldn't shy away the longing and love he had for his mother, nor could he shield himself from tragic memory of her untimely death. He had been so young then… just starting to leave his days of childhood behind, and yet, was no where near ready to become a man.

To say that his times with that jewelry box were moments of vulnerability for him was a deep understatement. When that box opened, he opened. And he didn't want anyone to ever see that. Even Blair. Or maybe, due to all his fears, especially her.

Perhaps that's why when Blair happened to surprise him one day as he sat on his bed, leafing through old pictures while the opened box laid in front of him he was so desperate to cover everything up. Without hesitation he moved to pile everything back into the box, frantic to hide all evidence so that he could continue to live alone with his secrets.

He should have known Blair would never be satisfied with that.

"What the hell are you doing here, Waldorf?" He barked out as he scurried to put everything away the moment she walked in.

"What do you mean what am I doing here?" She scoffed, ignoring her boyfriend's attitude as she walked in like she owned the place. And lately, she had…or at least partially since she was always dropping by to see her boyfriend. One of the perks to having him live under the same roof as she best friend.

"I came to see you, you idiot."

"Well, couldn't you have knocked?" He groused in annoyance, while he shoved the last few photos in the silver box.

"Isn't the point of you giving me a key so that I don't need to announce my presence?" Blair retorted before she came over and sat on the bed. She then flashed him a devious little smile before she added breathily.

"Besides, you have always seem to enjoy my sudden entrances in the past."

That, Chuck could hardly deny. What could he say? He loved surprises and Blair sudden appearances never failed to thrill him… especially when they'd launched themselves at each other with the fervor of two people stranded in a desert, desperate with thirst.

Unable to ignore Blair's wicked smile, he reached up and grabbed his girlfriend after making sure the jewelry box was securely tucked behind him and out of sight. He then pulled her right onto his lap and held her there, still feeling a little vulnerable and sentimental after spending the afternoon wandering down memory lane.

After a long moment of silence, Chuck could feel Blair began to stroke his hair gently before she quietly asked. "Hey, is everything alright?'

Damn it. Did Blair always have to see through him with such ease? Avoiding her dark doe-like eyes that he knew would pierce right through him, he leaned forward and pressed his face against the nap of her neck and hide himself amongst her brown curls.

"Of course." He replied with his usual swagger from his new position. He then ran a finger down his girlfriend's spine, musing in triumph when she shivered in response. "Why wouldn't I be?" He added condescendingly, as though it would be stupid to think otherwise.

But Blair saw right through him. He knew it the moment she pulled away from his once again, grabbed his face in her hands and began to study him with those dark eyes, and frowned. She knew. Of course she knew. She was always reading him so perfectly and he was starting to believe it would lead to his undoing.

"Seriously? What's wrong?" She asked, still frowning and he began to shift awkwardly under the intensity of her scrutiny.

"I told you." He replied, annoyance creeping into his tone "Nothing is…" Blair's eyes suddenly left his own and his stomach dropped when he realized what had caught her attention.

"What is that?" She asked in curiosity while she reached behind him for the silvery box that must have become exposed when he was shifting. Panicking, Chuck grabbed it before she could and held it an arm's length away from her while she glared and put her hands on her waist.

"What is that?" She asked again, though the curiosity had left her tone. Her question was now a demand to see what he was hiding.

"Leave it alone, Blair." He replied in a low, warning voice but Blair Waldorf was not to be deterred. In a swift, graceful movement, she rose up, snatched the box from his hand and rolled off the bed with her prize before he could catch her.

"It's beautiful!" She told him in an awed, reverent tone as she ran her fingertip down the silver border.

"Give it back, Blair!" Chuck called in a deep warning tone, struggling to get off the bed but she was quicker than him. Without heeding his warning, she opened the top of the box, her eyes widening in surprise when she found the contents within.

A stab of guilt flashed through her as she took in the sight of a few beautiful pieces of jewelry and a stack full of old pictures. One top was a photo of Chuck when he was perhaps four or five, standing amongst the trees of Central Park with his beautiful, long deceased mother's arm wrapped tightly around him.

With eyes wide and full of guilt and remorse, knowing she had clearly crossed a line, she slowly raised her head to meet the gaze of her infuriated boyfriend.

"Chuck…" She began before he stepped towards her and yanked the box out of her hand, unable to stand the emotion in her eyes. If that was pity she was feeling it would kill him.

"Go Blair." He told her curtly before he turned his back so he wouldn't have to face her. He couldn't see the way Blair's delicate features contorted in pain as tears filled her eyes.

"Chuck.." She tried again placing a hand on his shoulder, but he struggled it off and took a step away from her, cradling his box in his hands.

"I'm serious. Go now. I want you out of here." He told her, his cold tone sending a chill through her heart. Closing her eyes in defeat, Blair turned around, still tearing up, and headed for the door. Just before she left, she hesitated before she spoke.

"Listen, I know you're angry and you have every right to be. Just know I didn't mean it…and I'm sorry." Her voice broke on the last word and she needed a moment to swallow before she could continue on, refusing to do so unless perfectly composed.

"I saw something I had no right to see, but Chuck, just know you can talk about it with me..assuming you're ever going to want to speak to me again." She had to take another break before adding in a stern, authoritative tone that left no room for debate. "I love you, you know that. And I hope you realize you don't have to be so secretive with me."

Chuck was silent throughout her speech and didn't move from his place on the carpet until long after he was sure she was gone. Angry, humiliated, confused, he laid back on his bed for a long time, mulling over everything that had just come to pass.

How could Blair just invade his privacy like that? He knew she had been surprised by what she had found, but still, he felt so violated. So embarrassed. She knew about his little box now and a side to him that no one had ever seen was exposed. He was pissed, absolutely infuriated. He hated feeling this vulnerable.

But her words…he couldn't forget her words and their meaning. Sure, the two of them knew one another better than anyone, and sure, they had finally admitted that they were in love. But there was still so much more that could be said, and potential to grew even closer. Considering the fact that he already often felt like he was in too deep, that was a scary thing.

Yet judging by her words, it sounded like that's exactly what she wanted. She wanted them to confide in each other. She wanted to him to stop being so secretive. She wanted to know him in and out. And it didn't sound like that was out of pity, nor did it sound like she was planning on running anytime soon. She loved him, he knew that. Maybe she just wanted the chance to love all of him.

Taking a deep breath, Chuck stood up, the jewelry box clenched tightly in his hand, and called for his limo. Within minutes he found himself outside the Waldorf Residence and not long after he was walking up the steps leading to Blair's room after being let in by Dorota.

He opened the door slowly, and with more than a little hesitation since he was still amazed by what he was about to do. When he finally did, he was met with the sight of Blair curled up neatly on her bed, buried underneath her comforter.

"Go away Dorota. I don't want to talk about it." He heard her hiss, her voice muffled because her head was currently buried in her pillow.

"Tough luck, Waldorf. You don't have a choice in the manner." He replied back sternly before he smoothly walked over and sat next to her, putting the jewelry box in his lap.

"Chuck?" She called out in amazement, forcing him to hide a smile as he took in her appearance. She was disheveled for one of those rare moments in her life as her brown curls stuck out wildly, creating a sort of dark halo around her head. It was clear she had been crying, as well, since her nearly black eyes were surrounded by a sea of puffy red.

And yet, Chuck mused, she was beautiful… there was no denying that.

"Chuck..I am so.." She began frantically but he cut her off with a gesture of his hand before he opened the box in his lap.

"So this picture was taken when I was seven, I think." He suddenly told her in a voice that sounded so much smoother and more confident than he felt, as he took out a picture and passed it to her. She eyed it skeptically for a moment before she took it without saying a word much to his relief.

"We were at our old house in the Hamptons. Do you remember that place? It was a lot smaller than the one I have now." He said before he took out another picture.

"And this one is from that Christmas pageant they forced us to do back in third grade." He told her as he passed her a picture of him dressed as a smirking elf while his mother fixed one of his pointed ears. Blair smiled, and wiped away the last traces of her tears before she scooted over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I remember that pageant. I wanted to be the Snow Queen but Serena got it." She recalled with a slight frown. "But at least I was the best damn Mrs. Clause there ever was." She added before she haughtily tossed her head, causing Chuck to smirk before he kissed the top of her head, thankful that she understood him and what he was trying to do. They didn't need to speak the words.

"This necklace here was back from when my parents were first dating. The first piece of jewelry he had ever given a woman." He said as he pulled out a thin silver chain that held a tiny, misshapen pearl.

"It's beautiful." Blair responded, and after a slight pause she couldn't help but to add. "But it's…."

"No Erickson Beamon necklace?" He finished with wicked grin and she could not help but to smile back, knowing that she was the first woman he had ever given jewelry to, as well.

"I was going to say a little modest." She replied, shaking her head before she gave him a playful nudge.

"That's because it's from Bart's Tiny Tim Era. He hadn't made his millions yet." He joked before he pulled out a pair of platinum earrings studded with enormous diamonds. "These, on the other hand, were given to her long after he had put his chimney sweep years behind him."

Blair grinned as she took the earrings in her hand, feeling her heart swell as Chuck continued to go through the contents of his little box slowly and thoughtfully. She looked at every picture, touched every little memoir, and watched her boyfriend carefully as he altered between amusement, sadness, and longing. Every emotion was there, clear on his face for her to read. She had never seen him so open.

By the time they had gone through everything, she was utterly spellbound by him and felt completely overwhelmed. She loved him. She loved him so much, and seeing this side to him only made her love him more.

"So that's all. There you go. Congratulations, you now know the mystery behind the box." Chuck said dryly once they had finished. He then closed the box and held onto it tightly. Though his expression was neutral and he didn't display any obvious signs of nervousness or discomfort, Blair could tell that's exactly what he was feeling by the way he was fidgeting with the top.

After a moment of silence, Blair reached down and took the box out of his hand and placed it on her bedside table. He then turned to look at her and swallowed, before he dropped his gaze and looked away.

Understanding, Blair quietly slipped one of her hands in his own before she took her other one and calmly began to stroke the hair on the back of his neck.

"You know, though all those pictures you showed me were taken at different times and different places, they all had one thing in common…" She told him, and though he had gone quiet, she knew he was listening by the way he silently intertwined his fingers with hers and began to play with her small, delicate hand.

"It's the way your mom looked at you." He suddenly stiffened next to her, completely frozen, so she gave his hand a small squeeze of reassurance before she continued.

"She loved you. It's so obvious. All it would take is just one glance at any of those pictures and anyone could figure that out." Blair could hear him take a shaky breathe next to her as he began to play with her fingers once more.

"And Chuck, I'm really happy you showed me those pictures. I'm so glad I got to see your mother's favorites things, because I think the two of us have something in common."

Chuck finally lifted his head up at this, and looked at her with a bewildering frown which she answered with a smile before she leaned forward and rested her forehead against his.

"I bet I look at you the same exact way."

Chuck smiled a genuine smile, but refused to let on how much a single sentence from could send his heart fluttering. So he covered it all with a small chuckle. "I had no idea you were so sentimental , Waldorf." He teased sarcastically.

"I could say the same about you, Bass." She retorted smugly, causing him to narrow his eyes in response.

"You know, I hope you haven't gone and gotten your hopes up that this is going to be the norm now. I should warn you, I'm not going to be spouting Shakespearian sonnets or writing haikus on the pain and glory of love any time soon." He rejoined and she just grinned back before she resumed her gently stroking of his hair.

"What a shame. A good couplet would have been nice, but I guess I should know better than to expect such a thing from Chuck Bass." She smirked before she eyed him playfully and added. "Besides, I'm content for now. You know, I always knew that under all the mystery and mystique that is Chuck Bass, there was a heart somewhere. I'm just glad I got to see it."

Chuck rolled his eyes at that and smirked before he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She happily responded for a moment before the two of them then scooted over and laid down in the bed making themselves comfortable with they gentle held each other…both of them a little amazed at just how close they felt to one another at that very moment.

But despite his wonder, and his inner fears that still gnawed at him (and probably always would), Chuck did not regret his decision to open that box up with Blair whatsoever. Yes, he had always been a mysterious creature, one who concealed himself under a façade of smirks and aloofness but perhaps it was time to stop hiding.

Maybe it was time to let those dark, liquid eyes truly look not just at him, but into him, and see the person he was underneath it all. For it seemed Blair was prepared to love him, all of him, just as he loved all of her in return. And as long as he had that, who needed mystery?

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Before I say anything, I just want to tell everyone how much I appreciate you favoriting my stories. It makes me feel so great, so thanks again. Just as a request, I'd really like some reviews, too, because I want to know what people like or what I'm doing wrong. So if you would please review, I'd especially appreciate that! But thanks again for reading regardless!


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